


Clouds or Waves

by atomicmayo



Series: Dewmie Fictober 2019 Fills [5]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Closeted Character, Compulsory Heterosexuality, F/M, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, One-Sided Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-27 03:56:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20941883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomicmayo/pseuds/atomicmayo
Summary: From the Fictober 2019 Prompt: "I might just kiss you." Barb and Bill have a date.





	Clouds or Waves

"I think band practice is going on. For the moment, the kids are occupied!" Barb said to Bill with a grin as she clocked out. 

"Looks like I’m all yours for the evening!" Bill replied cheerfully, a plastered-on smile nearly making his face crack in half. He glanced around the room briefly. It was the first time he had seen the back of the post office and it felt cramped, oppressive - definitely old-fashioned, but lacking the kind of romantic nostalgia Bill liked. 

Barb laughed heartily at his announcement. The closest word Bill could think of to describe Barb's laugh would be ‘unapologetic’. Energetic, loud, yet kind of raspy at the same time. He even heard her snort once.

Bill did find her undeniably cute. He had told Barb as much before, too. Stout but sprightly, he particularly liked how her hair would almost float, cloud-like, when she would nod or giggle. She was older, maybe a few years older than Bill if someone judged by appearance alone, but the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth had the signs of someone who smiled a lot - a nice quality, by Bill’s reckoning. 

Unfortunately, in all his time on Earth, Bill still had trouble flirting without things quickly turning awkward, or worse, learning he had been barking up the wrong tree after the fact. As another point to his ignorance on the topic, he certainly _did not_ consider at the time he called Barb cute that "cute" can mean "attractive as a potential romantic partner" as well as "sweet like videos of kittens riding on the back of a turtle" or "lovely like an elementary school play about the importance of eating your root vegetables".

She was also what he was _supposed_ to want. Someone who the rest of the town would expect a human, apparently middle-aged man to be paired off with. 

Appropriate.

Bill shot a glance to Jamie despite himself. Jamie remained on the clock, standing at one of the sorting bins. His back was turned.

"Hello, Jamie," Bill tried to sound cordial. He got a mumbled ‘hello’ in return. Jamie's shoulders looked oddly scrunched up to his neck. He didn’t stop working.

Bill diligently stopped himself from interacting any further.

"Oops! Almost forgot," he lied, holding up a Big Donut bag to Barb, "leftover donuts from the end of my shift. A few Classic Deweys, just like you like!"

She laughed again.

"Oh, Billy! You keep that up and I might just kiss you!"

A bead of sweat finally appeared on Bill's forehead. He forced a chuckle in a way that sounded like a Santa Claus impersonation before adding softly, "I’d rather you not call me ‘Billy’, actually - you can--" 

Barb slipped her arm around his and leaned into him so hard he stumbled as she cut him off.

"Come on," she told him, "we’ve got some air-popped popcorn with cheese powder and a critically acclaimed 80s romantic drama to watch!"

They slipped out the door and left Jamie alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I tend to write Dewey while operating under two assumptions:
> 
> One! Dewey is part-gem and way older than he looks. Two! He's closeted and bi. Both things mean he "basically just keeps a low profile and doesn't get involved in much of anything", as Steven put it in Dewey Wins. I'm predicting he might try to date Barb as a last-ditch effort to look completely straight before something happens with him and Jamie. Cuz, you know, this show is just my soap opera.


End file.
